December 2015

On December 8th 1794, the second of two great fires in New Orleans history occurred, starting on Royal Street in the French Quarter. This fire was not as damaging as the first great fire which took place in 1788, and burned down 80% of the city, but was still a major setback in rebuilding the city. In 3 short hours, 212 buildings were destroyed, leaving many people homeless. The Spanish government offered the homeless citizens loans to rebuild, but there was a catch – in order to receive these loans, new construction had to follow certain guidelines required by the[…]

On this day in 1919, the French Opera House burned down. This theater had been located at the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse streets, in the French Quarter. New Orleans was the first city in the United States with its own opera company, which having no formal place to hold shows, would perform in people’s homes, event halls and even tents. In 1792, the Le Theatre St. Pierre was developed at 716 St. Peter Street and only stayed open for 8 years when it was closed for good after breaks in production due to issues of building safety concerns and issues[…]